van hoesen



(No Model.) l C. VAN HOESEN.

SKIRT SLIT HOLDER.`

No.A 573,729. Patented Deo. 22, 1896.

FIG-II.

INVENTORI WITNESSESI 9m 1n: norms mins co.. comun-co.. unmam. n. c

UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

CASPER VAN I-IOESEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONEl-IALF TO DAVIDHOCHNER, OF SAME PLACE.

SKIRT-SLIT HOLDER.V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,729, dated December22, 1896.

Application led April 29, 1896.

T0 @ZZ whom, it mfcty concern,.-

Be it known that I, CASPER VAN HoEsEN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain n ew and useful Improvements in Skirt-Slit Holders, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of devices for holding closed the slitor placket in a womans dress-skirt at the back, extending down from thewaistband. lVhen the fastening is made only at the waistband, this slitis apt to gape and disclose the white skirt beneath 5 and the object ofthe present invention is to provide an inexpensive device which shallhold together the two overlapping plies of the slit, which shall beeasily manipulated by the wearer, and which shall be liexible andyielding in all directions, yet stili enough to brace the plies of theskirt fabric.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure l is a view, on a small scale, of a skirt to which my holder hasbeen applied. Fig. 2 is a view of the completed holder on a large scale.Fig. S shows the wire of one member of the holder without the casing orcovering; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same, showing one ofthe fasteninghooks. Figs. 4 and 5 are views on a comparatively largescale illustrating the mode of securing the holder to the skirt.

In Fig. 1, X represents a skirt, or the waistband thereof, and y and .ethe overlapping plies at the margins of the slit at the back of theskirt.

The holderA is best seen as a whole in Fig. 2. It consists of twosuperposed members d and ct', secured together at their lower ends, asseen at u'. These members lie normally one over the other and face toface, but in Fig. 2 the outer member ct is represented as slightlydisplaced laterally for purposes of illustration.

I will now explain how I prefer to make the holder and of what it iscomposed.

I take a piece of light spring-wire l) and bend it to a zigzag form, asseen in Fig. 3, the zigzags forming a flexible wire strip of the desiredwidth-say one inch-and long enough beyond the wire strip inclosedtherein.

Serial No. 589,590. (No model.)

to form the two members of the holder. This wire strip is then inclosedin a tubular cover or casing c, of some thin fabric, and the inclosedstrip folded at the middle, so that one member will be superposed on orapplied to the other, after which the fastening 'w will be made. Asshown, the fasteningw is of thread, but an ordinary clip or spangle maybe used. The kind of fastening device at w is not material. In bendingthe wire b to form the zigzag strip at the proper points the bight ofthe wire is extended, as seen in dotted lines at t' in Fig. 3, and thisbight is afterward bent back upon itself to form a hook d on the membera', which is not inclosed within the casing c, but stands free, as seenin Fig. 2. There may be one or more of these hooks d on the inner edgeof the inner member a. In the drawings I have shown two. It Will benoted in Fig. 2 that the casing c extends The object of this is to formend tabs c', to be secured in the waistband of the skirt when the holderis applied thereto.

The flexibility of the structure enables the member a to be engaged withthe hookscl on the member a (see Figs. '2 and 5) byalateral movement anddisengaged therefrom in the same manner.

Fig. 4 illustrates the preferred mode of applying and securing theholder A to the skirt X. The holder is placed in the slit orplacket ofthe skirt and the ply -y (see Fig. 4) brought over and secured to theouter face of the member a. The ply z is broughtover the outer face ofthe member co and secured thereto along the outer edge of same, leavingthe inner edge of the member a (designated by @X in Fig. 4) free, so asto engage the hooks d, which, as seen in Fig. 5, enter between the outerface of the member ct and ply z.

I will say here that while I prefer to make. the two members a and 0.integral, as eX- plained, they may be made separate and secured togetherat w. The device may also be made and sold without the casing c, thislatter being supplied by the user; but it makes a neater article oftrade when inclosed in the casing. The hook or hooks CZ on one of themembers will be necessary, and it is conven- IOO of resilient Wire bentinto flat zigzag form and inclosedin a fabric casing, the said Wire andx5 its casing being folded centrally to form two members arranged faceto face, the folded end of the said closure forming a spring-hinge jointas set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed zo my naine in the presence 0ftwo subscribing Witnesses.

CASPER VAN HOESEN. lVitnesses:

PETER A. Ross, HENRY CONNETT.

